


The Nairobi Adventure

by Mrswas



Category: Zoo (TV)
Genre: Beating, Gen, Hurt!Jackson, Hurt/Comfort, Jackson Whump, Pre-Series, Ray sucks, Stabbing, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 21:56:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12198165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrswas/pseuds/Mrswas
Summary: Ray Endicott comes to Kituko Safari with a request for Jackson, to help him take down a group of hunters. Little did they know, it was trap. Based off of the hints from Abe's Nairobi story in Emotional Contagion.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Show and characters do not belong to me.

BOTSWANA

Jackson was starting to stir as the scarlet rays of sunshine radiated through the wooden window slats of his room. The sun reflected off of his brown hair, bringing out the golden highlights within the strands. He heard his dog, Murdoc, scratching at the door to go outside. “Hey Doc, give me a minute.” He offered, shrugging into a pair of cargo pants and his hiking boots. He grabbed a water bottle and an apple, biting into the crisp fruit with a smile. It was a beautiful day out. The way the sun was arriving over the horizon gave the riverbed in front of him a mirror-like quality. He thought to himself about the day he had ahead of him.

_Two tours, no paperwork left from yesterday, night out with the guys. This day is looking great. Plus, I think our new shipment of rifles come in today..._

_Yeah_ Jackson reasoned _off to a nice start…_

Jackson drove into the Kituko Safari camp in his jeep. He spotted Abe walking through the door with his nephew, Daniel, as he pulled into his self-designated parking spot/rectangle of dirt. “Hey Abe! You ready for tonight?”

The goliath of a man grinned “You know that I am, rafiki. I will try to tone down my charisma, so as to not leave you completely alone for the night.” He joked with a wink. “Don’t worry about that, Abe, you just go on ahead. I know you need to feel good with all the weight you’ve been packing on.” Jackson quipped as he walked by Abe, patting him on the shoulder and strutting through the doorway as Abe called after him,

“All muscle, my friend! All muscle!”

 

 

The first tour of the day went by uneventfully, the same kind of group as always. Excited and curious about the wonders they would see on an African safari tour. They asked the same questions as always “Will an elephant charge at our jeep?”… “When will we see a lion?”… “Is lunch included?”…

After lunch Jackson and Abe set to introducing themselves to the second group of the day. Both stood underneath the late afternoon sun with their tools of the trade, their newly minted rifles and safety vouchers in hand. The rest of their supplies for the 3 hour tour were stashed in the back of the safari vehicle. “Alright, so now that we have the boring stuff out of the way… Why don’t we go around and introduce ourselves so we know what names to yell when someone is getting eaten by a lion.” He announced with a sly smirk.

There was Lila and Dave, a young couple there on their honeymoon, a single photographer from Australia, a retired couple from the United States, and a token of bad luck wearing a baseball cap.

“Ray Endicott? What are you doing here?” Abe growled, resentment written all over his face.

“Just checking up on my good friends and enjoying a fantastic tour.” He faced the perplexed group “These people really are some of the best safari guides in Africa.” He smiled at the photographer, an attractive brunette named Jane, “And…”

“Okay…okay, Ray, cool it.” Jackson darted his eyes over to a simmering Abe “We’ll all talk later, okay?” he decided, raising his arms in a placating gesture.

After the tour finished, the other patrons were on their way out to dinner. They passed by saying enthusiastic thank you’s and handing them tips on their way out, giving sidelong glances towards the man who had started the earlier tension. The man who was now sitting by himself in the corner of the room, rapidly digging through his backpack. As soon as the guests were out the door, two pairs of eyes glared at Ray, who was starting to stand up out of the solid wooden chair.

“Now, before you say anything, hear me out, I am sorry. Jackson, I never meant for you to get caught up in my plans for those poachers. I just didn’t think…” “That’s right! You didn’t think, Ray! And it almost got Jackson killed!” Abe scolded.

“Abe…” Jackson tried to intervene as the huge man lumbered up to Ray “No, Jackson. He was the reason you were in that hospital for two _WEEKS!_ ” Ray took a step up to meet Abe’s gaze.

“I apologized, but those poachers deserved it.” Ray said evenly “Jackson just got caught in the crossfire of a battle. A battle we won! We’re all on the same side, and I would do it again.” At that, Abe grabbed the collar of Ray’s shirt and pushed him up against the wall. Abe started to open his mouth, prepared to deliver some objectionable words about Ray to Ray. But before he could continue, Jackson, who had been silently watching the exchange by the door, started to speak.

“ _You_ would do it again? _You_ would lay right here, on the floor of this room, and watch your own blood soak through the floor?” he had started off with a whisper, but his voice picked up as he ambled over to Ray’s position, his head tilted and an eyebrow raised “ _YOU would wonder if you were ever going to see your family again? Hear your bones snap as the laughter of strangers filled your ears? And not know what you did to deserve it?”_ Abe had stepped back from Ray, his hand letting go of the ex-marine’s crumpled collar as Jackson approached. “Well I am so glad there are men like you in the world, Ray.” He seethed “I guess you are just a better man than me.”

Ray’s hardened eyes met Jackson’s “I guess I am.”

Jackson gave a sardonic chuckle as he shook his head and stepped back, using his right hand to point to the door “Get the fuck out, Ray.”

Ray started to protest “Hey, no… but listen. There are animals that need our help, Jackson. You don’t have to like me but you can’t hate me anymore than the men in ‘Shoot to Kill’!” he yelled as Abe started to grab him by the arm and drag him to the door. Jackson’s ears perked up in interest. He knew how dangerous the Shoot to Kill, S2K, poaching gang was. They prided themselves on their sadistic ways of murdering animals and bragged about their ability to elude the Kenyan authorities. They made videos and gained an online gathering, many were of different nationalities, united only by their sick minds and greed.

_If Ray had found a way to take them down, that might make up for his extremist tendencies._

Still, he didn’t stop Abe as Ray was thrown outside and his backpack tossed after him, the door shutting closed with a loud bang.


	2. A Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson accepts Ray's request.

BOTSWANA

The mood for the guy’s night out was ruined a little bit, so the pair of best friends settled for cooling down with a couple beers and then calling it a night. Abe decided to camp out at the station that night, while Jackson went home. He was intent on taking a shower and passing out after feeding Murdoch. Which is exactly what he did, feeling less tense and finally relaxing into a comfortable sleep. That is, until a crashing noise woke him up around 2am.

He groggily heard distant barking and was in that state between sleep and wakefulness when he felt pressure over his mouth. Startling he tried to sit up and saw a shadow above him, holding him down into the pillow. Suddenly the hand released and the lights flickered on. Before he had a chance to call for help, he saw the pistol in Ray’s hand.

“Hey… hey…calm down. I am not going to hurt you I just need you to hear me out.”

“What the fuck do you want?!” Jackson snapped.

“I just need your help.” Ray pleaded.

“You came to the wrong place for that. Now leave me alone while I’m still in a good mood.” Jackson spat out dryly, eyeing the gun in his face.

“Jackson, you have every right in the world to be pissed, but you can’t let your anger for me keep you from doing what’s right. I know you know better than that.” Ray objected, lowering the gun but still keeping it aimed at Jackson as the man still sat on the bed, his covers strewn over the floor.

“I don’t know Ray, it’s not really anger. It’s more self-preservation than anything.” Jackson stated caustically.

“Jackson, I have all the plans laid out.” Ray grabbed his backpack of the floor with his free hand, pulling out a small bundle of papers held together with a paperclip and tossing them onto the bed. “Just…please…take a look. All we need to do is get to this park in Nairobi. I heard that’s where they’ll be next. No blood, all we have to do is confirm they are in the area and get the rangers on it. I have a contact in the station that will be waiting on call. No dirty work, I just need another body that I can trust for manpower, maybe if they need the backup.”

“And how do you know you can trust me?” Jackson questioned, his hands crossed over his chest and his breathe slowing down.

“Easy, you had about fifty chances to kill me today and you didn’t take any of them.” Ray smirked. “Yeah, I guess I’m a better man than we thought.” Jackson replied. Ray holstered his gun.

“You’re a better man than me. Now…will you help me? Help them?”

THE NEXT MORNING

“What are you thinking, Jackson?!” Abe asked in disbelief, his fists clenched at his sides, his presence seemed to encompass Jackson’s whole bedroom. Jackson was hastily packing items into his military grade camping backpack as Abe lectured him on the dangers of being in business with Ray Endicott, saying how there would be trouble.

“Abe, I told you, he only needs a little more manpower. We sight them in the area and call the authorities. Which is why I think you should go with us.” Jackson explained, racing into what passed for a living room, with Abe following close behind.

“I don’t want any part of this. Ray isn’t to be trusted. He gets out of hand too quickly. His heart is in the right place but he doesn’t care about who gets hurt in his escapades, as long as the mission is accomplished. He does not hold himself accountable for his actions, and lets innocent people get hurt… Like you.” Abe sighed “Jackson, this is a bad idea.” Jackson paused in his frantic search for his hunting knife and looked Abe in the eyes,

“But what kind of person would I be if I let my grudges dictate my actions? If I can help take down those S2K assholes, I should. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try, no matter the risk.” Jackson stated, his mind made up. “Ray’s plane leaves in an hour, I’ve got to go.” Jackson looked through the bottom drawer of his bookshelf and pulled out his knife, quickly shoving it into his bag and glancing up as Abe stared to speak.

“Please, rafiki…be careful and watch your back.” Jackson pulled him into a hug “I will. I’ll see you in a couple days.”


	3. Trouble Approaches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abe senses trouble for Jackson and Ray as they settle into their surroundings.

The four seater Cessna-172 rose over Botswana and turned itself north towards Nairobi. Ray was piloting the aircraft while Jackson sat in the passenger seat with the research Ray had conducted on S2K resting on his lap, including a couple pages of notes and a map of the area. They both had large, green headphones affixed over their ears, for communication between both themselves and the towers in the area. Jackson’s voice overlaid static as it reached Ray’s ears “Hey, so what exactly is this place?” Jackson asked, pointing towards a point on the map that was encircled in red pen.

Ray’s head tilted to glance at the map “That’s where we will be waiting to get a view of the poachers, who should be righttttt…” He jabbed his finger to a position downhill from their camp, “…There. Right there will be where those fuckers are waiting.” He rested his hand onto the yolk and stared out the front window “Like I said, easy job. I just need someone to watch my back and witness for when the rangers take them down.”

4 HOURS LATER

The plane touched down onto the small runway of a private airport in Nairobi, the dust kicking up off of the concrete into the dry air. Jackson and Ray stepped out of the plane, grabbing their bags out of the side compartment and then walking off to the exit where an official looking vehicle was parked on the other side of a chain link fence. Ray steered Jackson towards the rover and they both got in.

“Hey chief, how are you? This is my friend Jackson, he’s gonna be helping us out tonight. Jackson, this is the boss in town, Chief Azikiwe.” Jackson stuck his hand out as Azikiwe turned around in his seat to meet the handshake “Nice to meet you, my friend. I thank you for helping with this. Hopefully we can shut down this operation.” Jackson nodded “Happy to help.”

They drove around for about a half hour before the Chief Inspector brought them to a shaded camp close to the red circle on the map. “Here you can clean up after your journey and relax, there are bathing facilities about fifty yards to your right. After you are done, you will hike northeast to a small clearing on a ridge overlooking a bigger clearing. You should have a good view of the Shoot to Kill gang there.” He bobbed his head towards the wooden structure outside the vehicle. “Good luck. Again, thank you.”

Chief Inspector Azikiwe watched as the two men walked away to get ready for the operation that night, content with the money he would be making now that Ray Endicott would be out of the way in the future. He had a big stake in the profits Shoot to Kill made off of their game hunting and internet following. He pulled out a cell phone from the pocket of his fatigues and dialed.

“They have been dropped off… Yes, two…Should be no problem…Thank you.” He hung up and drove away, smiling to himself and content with a good days work.

BOTSWANA

Abe was putting away a couple of the new tranquilizer guns they had just gotten in when Daniel came through the door. “Uncle, there is a man in the eating hall asking to speak with you.” Abe raised an eyebrow and asked “Do you know who it is?”

“No, but he says that it is urgent.”

Abe put down the scope he had in his hand and hurried towards the direction of the dining area they used for tours. He spotted a blonde man in his late 40’s standing near one of their tables and had a knapsack in one hand. Abe approached him “Do you have more information?”

After Jackson had left with Ray to Nairobi, Abe decided to keep tabs on him through the grapevine. He called in a few favors and asked for information on the whereabouts and plans of S2K, using particular focus on how legitimate the information Ray had was. It had all checked out so far, which is why Abe was now facing the mystery man with a puzzled expression on his face. The man answered “Yes, a Constable Okeke asked me to pass information along to you.” Abraham was now troubled, Ayo Okeke was an old acquaintance working within the local police force where Jackson was setting up camp. With beseeching eyes he ordered “Yes, what is it?”

The man shuffled his feet and spoke up “He said that the operation seemed to be on track, but there was rumors that Chief Azikiwe will be getting paid tonight by Shoot to Kill for delivering a person of interest to the gang. He fears that your friend may be in trouble, since he was spotted getting into a car with the Chief. He suspects that it was a set up from the beginning, but cannot help them if it is. It would be too dangerous for him to get involved. The constable emphasized that as long as your friend is compliant, he may not get hurt. It’s likely that they will release him since he is not who they are looking for.”

Abe’s mouth gaped open in shock, he shook his head at the news and replied “In that case, I better hurry. Jackson has never been one to go anywhere quietly.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson starts to think that things are not what they seem.

NAIROBI

A few hours later, just as the sun was starting to set on the horizon, Jackson heard a crackling sound.

He and Ray had set up camp after freshening up at the facilities and then trekking a couple miles into the dry forest, coming upon their clearing for the night and settling down. There weren’t any signs of S2K yet, but it was still early. Jackson hadn’t talked much during their journey, but Ray made up for it. He spoke of his time as a Marine and how much he learned about the nastiness of humanity when he was abroad. How he now focused all his time into rescuing the defenseless, trying to convince Jackson to join up with him. He was starting to get involved in a group of like-minded people and thought Jackson would be a great recruit.

“Ray, I’m not interested.” Jackson finally spoke up. “I have my own life…I appreciate your cause, but it’s not for me.”

Ray just scoffed “You know what, Jackson? One day, you’re going to have to stand up for something.” He then went back to concentrating on the crumpled map in his hand.

Jackson laid down in his open tent, watching the sun set with his binoculars in hand, occasionally glancing at the empty campsite below them. He started to think that Ray’s Intel was off, this might have been a bust.

_Figures, trusted Ray and I wasted my time. Add that to the tally of time lost because of him._

As the thought disappeared into his consciousness, he heard the distinct sound of a twig cracking the undergrowth.

_Must be Ray coming back from peeing. Maybe I’ll tell him what I think about his sources…_

He stumbled out of the tent, his foot catching on the entrance and his hands hit the dirt as he felt a hard kick to his spine. He grunted, the soil catching in his eye as he rolled over onto his back. His eyes met the unmistakable shape of a gun barrel shoved in his face, the shadows of dusk reflecting onto the body of the weapon. He attempted to get his feet under him and instead watched a black shape arc through the air, hitting the right side of his face with disorienting force.  Before Jackson fell into a pool of mesmerizing darkness, he had one last thought…

_Scratch that, now I’m REALLY going to tell him…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson fights back against his captors while Abe hurries to rescue him.

BOTSWANA

After Abe was finished packing the essentials in his backpack, he started to load several weapons into the back of his jeep. He had an AK-47, a fairly cheap weapon to obtain for all the wrong reasons, and several pistols and knives. He did not like violence, preferred to avoid the nastiness of injury and despair. He had seen what became of violence, long ago in a muggy tent with the blood of his brothers splattered across the insides. That did not mean he wouldn’t strike back when the people he cared for were in danger. For that reason, he typically carried around a knife and a pistol, and especially when he and Jackson were out in areas they were unfamiliar with.

He started up the jeep and headed off to wake up a pilot who owed him a very huge favor.  One thought racing through his jumbled mind overtook the rest.

_I hope I am not too late._

NAIROBI

 _Where am I?_ Jackson wondered as he started to wake up, feeling the effects of the blow that had knocked him out earlier. He was laying sideways on the forest floor, not knowing how long he had been out or where he was. The illumination of the area was coming from lanterns that were strewn about with wire, connecting large tents that were surround and big fire pit. He attempted to move but found that his hands were tightly secured together behind his back with coarse twine. They were fixed to the hitch of a large trailer, giving him enough slack to stand up if he could feasibly do so. He decided it wasn’t worth the effort, considering his feet were also bound at the ankles. He struggled to call out to the men who were walking around the campsite around him, all holding hunting rifles and wearing gear with the symbol of a lion’s head within a red target imprinted upon them. After dazedly mumbling he realized he was gagged with some kind of rough rag.

_That symbol…shit…Ray, you stupid son of a bitch…_

_It was a trap._

After Jackson had put the pieces together, a large dark-skinned man approached him. “I am sorry for the treatment, Jackson Oz. But you were not supposed to be here.” Jackson made incoherent sounds, trying to ask how he knew who he was. Surprisingly the man could tell what he was getting at “Yes, yes, your friend Mr. Endicott was very forthcoming about the operation he was trying to conduct. He is in the tent across from us right now, we are waiting for a few important guests to arrive and then he will be executed tomorrow.” Jackson stopped his efforts to disentangle himself at the declaration.

“You must be wondering what will become of you, Jackson. We were going to let you go, but as we asked around we found that you have also been quite a pain to many of our colleagues. Sabotaging hunts, even lawful ones, and testing the patience of many with your endeavors.” The menacing tone of the man’s voice was carrying through Jackson’s ears and making his blood pressure rise and his heart beat faster. He briefly thought of tackling the larger man, but dismissed the idea quickly. There were at least eight other men in the camp, dipping in and out of other tents and vehicles, prepping equipment and shooting him predatory glares. There was no way he could make it out of here at the moment.

_Just got to wait for the right time…_

The man impatiently snapped his fingers in Jackson’s face, making Jackson flinch and bringing him out of his thoughts. “I know what you are thinking, Mr. Oz. But you will not be getting out of here… unless someone pays the right price. This adventure of yours will be over soon. My name is Jonathan by the way.”

Before Jonathan could saunter away, Jackson had lifted his legs and, using them like a battering ram, kicked out at the back on Jonathan’s knees in frustration. He demanded to be heard. Jackson had no illusions about his fate, but refused to go silently. The man fell to his knees with a grunt and then stood up, rubbing the dirt on his hands off on his khaki pants. He motioned over two men with a pointed finger, and turned to Jackson as the others stood behind him. Jonathan roughly yanked the gag down from Jackson’s mouth, crouching on front of the bound man. “You _will_ respect me. Apologize.”

The smooth green of his hazel eyes glinted as Jackson scanned the area. He tilted his head, in a show of feigned surprised, he whispered “Oh, was that _your wife?_ ”

The corners of Jonathan’s mouth crinkled into an amused grin “Oh, I hope you retain that sense of humor despite the pain you will shortly be feeling.” Jackson winked at him, only seeing a flash of silver streak through the air a little too late. A second later his screams bounced off the trees, a small boning knife shoved hilt-deep into his thigh.

Jackson’s shocked expression only elicited chuckles from the surrounding men Jonathan had motioned over. “I’d watch your back!” Jackson panted “Wait until I’m out of here and then we’ll see how tough you are!” Jackson was starting to feel woozy, he scrunched his eyes and his breaths were coming in short and fast, the temptation to scream overwhelmed him. The pain tore through his upper thigh like lightning, he tasted a metallic flavor and was surprised to find that he had bitten through his bottom lip, the blood dripping out of his open mouth and splattering onto the warm dirt. The sight made him slightly nauseated and he found himself planted down on the ground with his bound legs set out in front of him and the back of his head leaning onto the trailer hitch.

“So what now, big guy?”

Jackson looked up at the harsh voice with pain written over his face, but his eyes burned with anger underneath his long eyelashes. One of the men Jonathan had summoned was meandering around while the other, a white man with a sleeve of animal-inspired tattoos, stood to his right grinning and speaking to the wounded man. “You hippie dipshits think you can walk around, messing with what’s not yours and walk away. Not this time.” He swung a mean backhand across Jackson’s face, the blocky rings across his knuckles cutting into the safari guide’s cheek. Jackson’s face swung back and he spit blood on the brown hiking boots of the tattooed man. With a look of disgust, the man grabbed Jackson’s hair and pulled him onto his knees, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the captive. Before he could deliver another blow, Jackson spoke up “Animals d…don’t belong to you.” He gasped, with a look of defiance on his face, his brow arching and as much of a crooked smile as he could manage. His split lips protested at the act of insubordination.

_You arrogant asshole._

The silent man took this opportunity to introduce his boot to Jackson’s stomach, Jackson fell to the ground and was met with several more hard kicks to his stomach and side. Realizing they weren’t stopping, he attempted to curl up but eventually ran out of the energy while the hits kept coming. The beating stopped just as Jackson was being lulled into unconsciousness. He wished he could go back in time to stop himself from getting on that plane. Before he passed out, one thing resonated in his mind.

_Abe, you were right…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abe arrives to rescue Ray and Jackson.

NAIROBI

Abraham Kenyatta was meeting Ayo Okeke in a jeep off of the backroad of the small airport in the area. He was only functioning on caffeine and quiet rage. The timid African man seemed small in his uniform as he sat in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, especially compared to Abe, who’s usually calm demeanor was now ruffled as he inquired into his brother’s whereabouts.

“So, he was in this camp site when he was taken? And the poachers did not meet at theirs? So where are they?” Abe fretted, pointing to dots on a map. Constable Okeke answered back with “I am not positive, but I think I have an idea.” Abe waited for him to continue “Azikiwe has told us to stay away from the campsite on the river 3 miles up from their original set up. He has had us keep the public away for tonight. I suspect it is because that is where your friends are being held…”

“Ray is not my friend.” Abe interjected.

“Well, your friend and his friend may be in a clearing that we have had to clean up from poaching activities before. It is close to the middle of the 3 mile radius that we cleared today. I will drive you as far as I can, but you must walk the rest of the way.” Ayo offered.

Abe thanked Ayo and they set off to rescue the pair of idiots.

NAIROBI- S2K CAMP

Ray had heard the screams from outside the tent. He knew he was going to die soon, but couldn’t help but feel bad for bringing Jackson into this. He really did think that it would be a smooth operation. In hindsight, he should have waited longer to vet his sources, but when the opportunity came along to take down Shoot to Kill, he felt like passing it up would be a horrible mistake. He thought about how dead wrong he was, the guilt eating him up as two men with blood on their hands came through the tent where he was imprisoned.

“Your friend out there has guts, I’ll tell you that. More than you do. How’d you convince the sorry son of a bitch to come along?” the tattooed man sneered.

Ray was silent, he had learned when to keep his mouth shut. “Now you’re all quiet, huh?” Ray glared as the man kept taunting him “Jonathan says we have to keep you in working shape because of the hunt tomorrow. Gonna go after the wild Ray Endicott!” the man exclaimed as he swung his gun in the air “I haven’t been this excited since I got my first bb gun on my 10th birthday!” the man seemed deranged, jumping from one spot to the next. He eventually left the tent, letting Ray exhale the breath he had been holding.

_Really hope Abe made good on all his talk of not trusting me…_

 

Abe was scanning the underbrush by his feet and keeping a low profile as he approached the lights of a large camp.

 _Found you._ He thought. He had his AK-47 slung across his back and both his pistols holstered on his hips. His knives were harnessed inside the strap of his AK in easy reach. He would prefer to sneak in and grab Jackson, but he knew how fragile plans could be in one-man rescue missions. He was prepared.

Ray was walking sitting with his hands tied next to a post while a man brought him a tin of water. Abe gripped the strap across his chest and gulped as his eyes saw the figure tied to the hitch of a trailer. Jackson was laying down with his face bloody and his body bruised, he looked so void of movement that Abe briefly thought he was dead until he saw Jackson’s feet jerk and heard a moan. Someone called out “Someone make that kid shut the fuck up!”

At that Abe walked through the trees into the clearing and bellowed “NOBODY MOVE!” the men around the camp all paused in their tracks, reaching for the nearest weapon. Abe, proving that he meant business, fired a shot into the shoulder of one of the poachers, making the rest dip as the man lay still on the ground. “I said, no one move! You, untie the man.” Abe demanded of stocky man who was standing near Ray. He quickly cut the cord around Ray’s hands and then threw the knife to his left. Ray jumped up with a jaw splitting grin and then bent down to pick up the knife.

“Abe! About time man, I am so glad…”

Abe interrupted Ray’s gracious speech with “Stop talking. I did not come for you. I came for Jackson. And I have half a mind to leave you here.” Ray’s face paled “But I know Jackson wouldn’t want that, so go untie him because we are leaving.” Abe announced. He was trying to keep the poachers subdued with his presence, but he knew he didn’t have that much time before they figured out a way to fight back.

Ray quickly raced over to Jackson’s crumpled form, frowning at the amount of blood that had clotted around his wrists from the tight cord and the way his injuries were adding up. The stab wound was oozing blood. Jackson was half awake, his eyes squeezed shut and then flickered open. A small moan escaped his lips as Ray finished cutting through the cord. “Hey…hey Jackson I got you buddy, Abe is here and we are leaving. I’m really sorry, man.” Ray’s words were not registering in Jackson’s muddled mind, but he did recognize the figure who had his gun held on the group of criminals.

_Abe, you extraordinary beast. I knew you’d come._

Then the second shot of the day was fired and the small world exploded into chaos.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue is not as smooth as Abe hoped it would be.

NAIROBI

Abe was struggling to keep his eyes trained on the group of hunters around him while Ray assessed the damage done to Jackson and cut him loose. One of the poachers had been slowly inching towards the rifle he had set behind his lawn chair, using Abe’s anxious glances towards Jackson as cover. By the time Abe realized what was going on, a shot had already been fired into the air, missing his face by half a foot. Abe started firing in retaliation and then scene was filled with yelling and the smell of gunpowder and wet leaves.

After Abe had winged one of the shooters who was hid behind an indigenous cider tree, he only had about seven more men to contend with. During the confusion, Ray had manhandled Jackson into the backseat of a Land Rover that had been parked next to the trailer and then set to staunching the blood flow coming from Jackson’s thigh wound, which was now bleeding sluggishly. He grabbed a shirt that was left on the vehicle’s floor and wrapped it around the hilt of the knife, laying down pressure but keeping the knife put. Jackson was making cries of pain as Ray compressed the injury. “Hold on, Jackson. We’re almost out.” The shock of the situation was giving Jackson enough adrenaline to speak more than the sparse one syllable words he had been articulating during the rescue. “Ray…” Ray shot a glance up from the damage “Yeah?”

“You...are a…dumbass.” Jackson murmured before coughing.

“I know.” Ray replied with a resigned exhale. He grabbed Jackson’s hand and placed it over the blood soaked shirt “Hold this pressure okay?” Jackson nodded his head, the agony in his leg had faded to a dull throb but his face was covered in a sheen of stress sweat, the shininess making him look even paler. It brought the blood and mottle of multicolored bruises to a startling contrast. Ray crawled over to the front driver seat. He looked at the ignition and smiled.

Abe zipped through the camp site, firing shot after shot and mowing down any man who got in his way. The sun was just coming up over the horizon, muting the sparks of the multiple gun muzzles against a hazy blood orange backdrop. He had lost his balance as another man, slightly lighter than him and slightly smaller, yanked him backwards by his shirt. He stumbled backwards and landed on his back, kicking up at the man before him before he was stopped with a gun aimed squarely at his face.

“It seems like no one here has _respect_ anymore. I build this empire from the ground up and _I GET NO RESP…_ ” Abe watched as Jonathan was thrown through the air and landed on top of the rocks surrounding the fire pit with a sickening crunch. The guilty party yelled “Get in!” from the front driver’s window of a matte grey Land Rover. Abe wasn’t going to argue with that bit of advice. He quickly jumped into the front passenger’s seat, using the front grill as cover as he ran around to the side, dodging a small amount of bullets. He stared at the carnage he had left behind as Ray drove them away, the bodies lay still and there was one lone figure standing among the wreckage, a Caucasian man with an affinity for animal tattoos and an expression of rage.

 

 

Ray drove them to the nearest hospital, the doctors treated Jackson’s leg wound and wanted to keep him longer because of the injuries that were inflicted from the beating (two broken ribs and a concussion being the most worrisome) but Abe and Ray knew that they had to keep moving. As soon as Jackson was medically stable to move, they rushed out the door, leaving behind several very confused medical personnel in their wake.

Abe was having trouble even looking at Ray after all the excitement had calmed down a bit, the more he thought about the situation, the angrier he became. At the moment they were driving towards Ray’s plane that was hiding in a hangar at the small airport, Jackson sat leaned back in the passenger seat while Abe drove. Abe looked at his best friend, his brother, looking so fragile. The doctors had given him pain medication, but you could still see the tremors snake across his face whenever they hit a small bump in the road, a small grunt could be heard six times out of ten. Jackson could now see out of his swollen left eye, but the rest of his face was still decorated in nasty shades of muddy yellow and olive. Small spots of lavender and red pinpricks littered his face and marched across the bridge of his noise. The ugly indentation the backhand he had received was still there, but it would fade in time. The cuts were shallow, and Abe believed it wouldn’t scar.

_Good, I don’t want any unnecessary reminders of this incident. I don’t want him to look in the mirror one morning a year from now and think of when he was at the mercy of evil men. And about how I had let him walk into danger alone._

_I should have been with him._

 

BOTSWANA

The jeep approached the plains that Jackson and Abe had come to call home. They had called Mrs. Oz as they got off the plan, telling her that Jackson was in need of medical care but that he would be alright. She was pacing in front of Jackson’s home, Murdoch was laying off to the left in the high grass. As soon as the vehicle was parked she ran over to the passenger door and fussed over Jackson, hugging and kissing him while also reprimanding him for getting in trouble again. Jackson took in all the attention with a lopsided grin, Abe had finally decided to give him more pain medication at Jackson’s agitated prompting. Abe didn’t want to spark an addiction, but Jackson was moving more than he was supposed and still taking the same amount he would be taking as if he were stationary. Abe figured it couldn’t hurt, and for the last leg of the trip Jackson had actually been making conversation. Although he was talking about nonsensical things in a slurred voice, Abe still took it as a good sign. He was glad that Ray wasn’t there. The ex-marine had booked it after they had landed, there one second and gone the next. It was a smart move, Abe was getting ready to have words, and fists, with the man. He had left behind a piece of scrap paper on the console of Abe’s vehicle.

_Thanks for the save! That was badass! I could always use someone with your talents, you and Jackson. Tell him I’m sorry, I never meant for it to get so out of hand. –Ray Endicott_

A phone number was written at the bottom, Abe crumpled the lined sheet and threw it out the window. The paper was flattened under the tires as Abe backed up and headed home.

Once they got Jackson inside and into his room, Mrs. Oz took out her medical kit and set to cleaning Jacksons injuries. She and Abe undressed the loopy man, leaving him in his pair of boxers “ _Mommm…Get out of my roooom..._ ” Jackson giggled.

With an upturned brow Mrs. Oz asked Abe how much pain medication he had given to Jackson “Only 2 of these in the last 6 hours, the last dose was about an hour ago.” Abraham answered, handing the brown bottle with a white label over to someone who he had come to see as his own mother.

“That explains it.” Elizabeth Oz mused. As she set out new dressings and started to uncover the bandages the doctors had placed over the stab wound. “Hopefully he won’t feel this so much.” She was disappointed when Jackson started to breathe hard, the leg underneath her hand shuddering, as she gingerly unwrapped the bandages. His eyes were screwed shut, she doused the area in alcohol and he let out a half stifled scream. By the time she finished, his face was a ghostly white underneath the bruises and Elizabeth was frowning.

“Almost done, Jackson.” She reassured him and then set to wrapping his damaged ribs. Abe had to help hold him up for that part, his large hands resting underneath Jackson’s armpits to keep the limp man upright as Elizabeth finished treating him. Them they were finally able to let him rest. She pulled out a thin needle and gave Jackson something for the pain, he started softly mumbling something about Murdoch and treats. He was asleep seconds later, his facial expression growing softer and his muscles relaxing.

Elizabeth motioned Abe out of the room. Once they were out she demanded to know what happened.

“Do you remember Ray Endicott?” Abe lamented.

Ten minutes later, Abe had finished the story and Elizabeth was fuming, harshly wandering the kitchen and cursing the man. “You should have left him there, Abraham.”

“You know that Jackson would have never been able to live with that.” Abe sighed “I thought about it. Many times.”

Elizabeth stopped pacing and set her hands onto the table, a look of exasperation on her face. “Trouble seems to always find that boy, ever since he was little. And he just accepts it. Thank you for bringing him back.” Abe set his hand on top of hers “I wish I could have stopped him. Like you said, he never passes up an interesting opportunity.” Abe noted. They both sat in the kitchen for a while, alone in their troubled thoughts as Jackson’s soft snores carried through the air.


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week later, Jackson is adjusting well.

ONE WEEK LATER

The tapping of Jackson’s crutch was starting to wear on Abe’s nerves as they sat at the desk inside Kituko Safari’s office area. They were finishing up paperwork and booking tours. Jackson had been steadily drumming his crutch against the wooden floor, with a distracted looked on his face. The bruises on his face had faded to blotchy purples and yellows, the cuts started to scab over. But he still looked so very delicate to Abraham, who had refused to keep him out of his sight for the first couple of days of his recovery. He had been staring at the same page for the past ten minutes. Abe swerved towards him.

“Is something wrong, rafiki? You look troubled.” Abe implored.

“I’m fine, I just was thinking about how I never really said thanks to you for having my back, even though I didn’t really deserve it.” Jackson admitted, his eyes warm eyes shined in the light coming off of the overheard lamps.

“Don’t talk like that, Jackson. You made a mistake, and it was in good intentions. You care too much about helping others that you sometimes forget to keep yourself safe. It is a better flaw than most people have. That is why I am here, to watch out for your stupid heroism.” Abe said, grinning.

His ease alleviated Jackson’s nerves, allowing an uneven smirk to set upon his face. “I’ll try to make your job a little easier from now on.” Jackson pledged.

“Not too easy, rafiki. I still like to have fun.” Abe replied, patting Jackson on the shoulder. The pair sat in contented silence, watching the day come to a close as the gray of dusk crept into the cabin, overcoming the scarlet hue of the South African sky.


End file.
